Creative Staff:
Story: Tadashi Kawashima
Art: Adachitoka
Translation/Adaptation: Anastasia Moreno
What They Say
HOSTAGE CRISIS
Nokada is holding a little girl prisoner, and only Taisuke can save her from Okada’s deadly plan. While Taisuke tries to free the hostage, Megumi’s being held hostage herself–and trying to escape. Will she and Taisuke ever be reunited?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
This series continues to impress. This volume picks up in the midst of Taisuke’s battle with the Comrade Okada, who possesses the power of the Grim Reaper’s Promise. Okada cannot use his power against Comrades, but he has Taisuke under control with the little girl hostage. The only way Okada will release the girl is if Nami kills Taisuke and Yuta. Nami makes an interesting and unpredictable character as she begins kicking the crap out of Taisuke, who refuses to fight back. It quickly becomes apparent to the reader that Nami has every intention of killing Taisuke so Okada will take her to Katsumata and the other Comrades. What I’m not sure about is how much Taisuke and Yuta are aware of this. It seems Yuta is aware of Nami’s unpredictable nature, but I feel Taisuke would let her kill him if it meant someone else could live on in his place.
After the battle, Okada escapes and Taisuke and the others spend a few days in the hospital. It takes Taisuke 3 days in a coma to recover from Nami’s attack. During this time, she does some soul searching and I’m not so sure Taisuke and Yuta are any safer by the time they leave the hospital. This is one of the great aspects of this series, it is difficult to tell who’s side many of the characters are on. I’m pretty sure Yuta and Taisuke have foraged a strong bond, but Nami is still a time bomb that could explode in their faces. The Comrades with Katsumata are all screwy and would stab each other in the back if it would further their personal goals. Because of this, it seems Katsumata is really playing with fire as he tries to use his subordinates to further his goals. It seems that any one of those nut jobs could ruin his plans just as easily as they could further his goals.
In Summary:
I enjoyed the second half of this volume as it focused on Megumi and her struggles to escape from Katsumata and Hirose. At first, it seems that Hirose and his powers solidify her position of safety within Katsumata’s hands. However, the unpredictability of the Comrades proves she is just another pawn for Katsumata. The real danger comes from Kanon, a crazy girl with the ability to make things explode. To make things even more interesting, Kanon is the one that Nami is hunting for revenge. Will Kanon kill Megumi and add Taisuke to the growing list of people with personal vendettas against her?
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: A-
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Del Rey Manga
Release Date: September 13th, 2016
MSRP: $10.95
